All In Their Heads?
Almost everyone has a headache now and then – even
children. As a parent,
the big question is when to be concerned about your child’s
headaches.
Most of the time the apparent cause of your
child’s headache can be logically identified -- such as staying up
too late, missing a meal, playing in the sun too long or bumping his
or her head. Recurring,
frequent headaches with no apparent cause should be brought to the
attention of your child’s physician.
Most simple headaches resolve at home with little medical
intervention.
Have your child lie down in a comfortable dark room to rest.
Sometimes a cool cloth applied to the forehead or at the base
of the head can be soothing. Always
consult your child’s physician before giving medications.
Children are plagued by many of the same recurring types of headaches
that affect adults. Common
causes of headaches include stress, certain foods or beverages,
medications, sinusitis, dental pain, muscle tension and migraine.
Migraine headaches occur in four to ten percent of school-age
children and they are the most common cause of recurrent headaches in
children. They rarely
occur before age five and 90 percent of the time they run in the
family.
If your child has recurrent headaches keep a diary listing each
headache and anything that you believe may have brought it on.
Be certain to note the severity of the headache and any
associated symptoms as well as their response to any prescribed
medications. Most
headaches in children are not a symptom of other disease and can be
treated effectively. But,
constant headaches that are worse in the morning and associated with
decreased alertness, changes in vision, weakness, listlessness,
confusion and/or stiff neck may be cause for more concern.
Certainly these symptoms warrant an immediate evaluation by a
physician.
World Wide Web Resources
Click on a highly selective list of topics to
further educate you on headache issues and numerous other pediatric
medical issues. It
includes other headache web links.
American Council
for Headache Education
http://www.achenet.org/kids.html
This site provides education to understand
headaches, prevention and treatments and gives recommended reading on
other headaches information resources.
You can link to other relevant sites to facilitate your search on
headache and other related disorders.
Here you will find a mighty Web site created by
medical experts for the health of children.
Click on Parents and Healthy Kids to find more information on
headaches in children.
This site is one to bookmark for accurate and
up-to-date information on kid’s health
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